Dual stereoscopic projector



May 27, 1952 I H. R. LUTES 2,598,573

DUAL STEREOSCOPIC PROJECTOR Filed Dec. 5, 1949 26 as 1 01 100 5a ill Patented May 27, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,598,573 DUAL STEREOSCOPIC PROJECTOR Harold R. Lutes, Alhambra, Calif. Application December 5, 1949, Serial No.131,142

1 Claim.

This invention relates to projectors, and more particularly to a projector adapted to project a plurality of images to a screen in which means is provided for orienting one of said images with respect to the other, both vertically and horizontally. i

Projectors of this type are useful in optometry, and it is one object of this invention to provide a projector which can be used by optometrists in the testing of the eyes of their patients for all of the ordinary factors to be considered in the fitting of glasses and for the purpose of correcting visual anomalies by visual training procedures.

It is a feature of this invention that two projector tubes are provided, each of which is provided with the conventional lenses forming the optical system of the tube, and adapted to project an image to a screen. Each of the tubes is separately mounted for rotation in a vertical plane, and for movement towards and away from each other in a generally horizontal plane.

It is accordingly one object of this invention to provide such a binocular projector in which each of the separate projecting tubes can be simultaneously moved towards or away from the other, or may be rotated with the other about a horizontally disposed axis.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of the type described which is simple, sturdy, and economical of manufacture.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device of the type described which is simple and easy to operate.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the annexed specification, in which:

Figure 1 is a side View, partly in vertical section, of a projector embodying the present invention;

, Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the device shown in Figure l, with the cover broken away for clarity of illustration; I

Figure 3 is a front view, partly in section, of the device shown in Figure 1;

Figure 4 is an enlarged section taken along the line 4-4 of Figure 2; v

Figure 5 is a perspective elevation of the tube mounting plate; and i V igure 6 is an enlarged section taken along the line 6-B of Figure 2. V A

Referringnow more particularly to the drawings, the invention is shown as including a base 10 having four downwardly extending legs H, and having an opening l2 in the top thereof generally rectangular in form. A causing l3 is provided having an L-shaped extension l4 running across the front of the casing and extending downwardly into the opening I2. The base it has a rearwardly extending flange lBac'rOss the front thereof which is provided in the middle thereof with a thumbscrew IS, the lower end of which is adapted to engage the lower arm of the L-shaped extension 14, as clearly shown in Figure 1. The base In is likewise provided with a platform or shelf ll, upon which is suitably mounted a coil spring l8, one end of which en gages the shelf I1, and the upper end of which engages under the lower arm of t he extension It.

The casing I3 is provided on either side thereof with a depending lug H) which is bored as at 20 to receive the inner end of studs or pins2l, thus pivotally mounting the casing [3 on the base Iii. From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the casing 13 and all of the mechanism carried thereby can be pivoted about the pins 2| by making up or backing ofi the thumbscrew It, thus vertically adjusting the position of the image projected as hereinafter described. I

The casing l3 comprises a base plate 22 and a cover 23. The cover 23 may be removed by disengaging the thumbscrew's 24 from the lugs 25 formed integrally with the base plate 22. Within the casing [3 there is disposed a pair of tubes 25 formed in the conventional way to house projecting lights 21. The tubes are apertured as at 28 in alignment with reflecting mirrors 29, and again apertured at 30 to permit concentrated light to project from the tube. The base plate 22 is provided with a plurality of openings 3 l 32, and 33 for ventilation, and a number of longitudinally extending slots 34 is provided in the cover 23 for the same purpose. The forward wall 35 of the casing is provided with a pair of openings 36, and aligned with the openings 38 are a pair of light condensing optical systems conventional in form and indicated generally by the numeral 37. The light-condensing systems 37 can be attached to the forward wall 35 by the screws 38.

The outward side of the forward wall 35 is provided with a pair of spaced extensions or ribs 29 forming a channnel 4B. A plate 4| is provided adapted to be attached to the ribs 39 by the screws 42 (see Figure 4), and the plate 4| is provided with a centrally disposed, outwardly extending post 43 provided with male threads to receive a retaining nut 44. A tube mounting plate 45 is provided (see Figure 5), and is adapted to be pivotally retained upon the post 43 by means of the nut 44. The plate 45 is provided with a channel 46 on the rear thereof having dimensions such that the plate 4| extends therein and permits limited pivoting oi the plate 45 about the post 43. The plate 45 is provided with a pair of outwardly extending ribs 41 and 48, the rib 4'! having an upwardly and inwardly beveled lower edge 50, and the rib 48 having a downwardly and inwardly beveled upper edge 49, thus forming a channel.

The forward wall 35 is provided with a forwardly extending lug which is tapped to receive a thumbscrew 52, the lower end of which is adapted to abut the upper surface of the rib 41 adjacent one end thereof, as shown in Figure 3. The forward wall is likewise provided with a similar lug 53 which is tapped to receive the threaded portion 54 of the cylinder 55. The cylinder 55 houses a coil spring 56 and a piston 57 having its lower end rounded as shown in Figure 6. The lower end of the piston 51 thus engages the upper surface of the rib 41 adjacent the end thereof opposite that engaged by the thumbscrew 52, and resiliently biases the plate in a clockwise direction (Figure 3). A pair of I projecting tubes 58 and 59, each containing the conventional optical pieces for projecting an image to a screen, are provided. The tubes 58 and 59 have bases 60, the rear ends of which are provided with an extension 6!, the walls of I The plate 45 is provided with a pair of light openings 64 and 65, and the main wall of the plate 45 may be cut out as at 65 and 57 to reduce the bearing area against which the extension Bl bear. The post 43 is internally threaded as at 88 to receive a stud 59. The stud 69 pivotally mounts a lever 70. The bases 60 of the projecting tubes 58 and 59 are each provided With an inwardly extending lug indicated at 7| and 72. The lugs 7| and 72 are adapted to receive the threaded portion of studs 73 and 74, respectively. The lever 70 adjacent the lugs II and 72 is provided with elongated slots 75 and 15 adapted to receive the shaft of the studs 13 and 14 which are prevented from escaping from the slots 15 and 16 by the enlarged heads thereof. The lever 70 is provided with an upwardly extending handle 77.

As the bases of the projecting tubes 58 and 59 are slidably mounted within the plate 45 as hereinbefore described, it will be apparent that the projecting tubes can be moved toward or away from each other by moving the lever 70 by means of the handle 77 in either a counterclockwise or a clockwise direction, the studs 73 and 74 sliding in the slots 75 and 76 during this operation.

As the piston 51 resiliently engages one side of the rib 41 of the plate 45, and as the lower end of the thumbscrew 52 engages the other side thereof, it will be apparent that by backing off or making up the thumbscrew 52, the plate 45, and hence the projecting tubes 58 and 59 carried thereby, can be rotated about the axis formed by the post 43. The displacement of the projecting tubes 58 and 59 either horizontally or vertically as just described will be accompanied with a corresponding displacement of the optical images projected, as will be well understood by those skilled in the art.

The channel 40 is provided between the ribs 39 in order to receive a slide which may be pro vided with any pair of images which it is desired to project upon the screen, and by means of the controls just described, these images can be separated either in a horizontal or a vertical direction by the simple manipulation of the lever handle 77 or the thumbscrew 52.

A printed scale I80 for indicating the binocular distance may be provided having one end affixed to one of the bases 69, as at llll, and having its other end riding over the other base.

While there has been described what at present is considered a preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the essence of the invention, and it is intended to cover herein all such changes and modifications as come within the true spirit and scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

An optical image projector comprising: a housing; a pair of light sources in said housing; a pair of image projecting optical systems mounted On said housing in operative alignment with said light sources and having parallel axes; first means mounting said projecting systems for movement towards and away from each other in a generally horizontal plane; means mounting said optical systems for rotation about an axis intermediate of and parallel to the system axes; means defining a passage between said light sources and said systems adapted to receive an image transparency, said first means comprising a channeled mounting plate and bases on said systems extending into the channel for sliding movement therein and a lever pivotally mounted between said bases; and pins carried by said bases and extending into slots formed in said lever on opposite sides of its pivot whereby said bases are adapted for concurrent movement, said second means comprising a pivot supporting said mounting plate on said casing intermediate said systems, resilient means biasing said mounting plate in one direction of rotation and screw means'adjustably limiting and resisting said rotation.

HAROLD R. LUTES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,221,091 Richard Apr. 3, 1917 1,259,365 Cooper Mar. 12, 1918 1,498,177 Leonard June 17, 1924 1,550,214 Leonard Aug. 18, 1925 1,787,808 Wittel Jan. 6, 1931 1,808,176 Pieper et al June 2, 1931 1,971,234 Peppercorn Aug. 21, 1934 2,307,981 Babcock Jan. 12, 1943 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 344,289 France Aug. 31, 1904 451,311 France Feb. 11, 1913 22,938 France Mar. 28, 1921 (First addition to 519,824) 689,780 France June 2, 1930 

